The Healing Journey Through Retirement: Your Journal of Transition and Transformation

For those who are planning for their retirement or who are already in the throws of it, this book is a must. If you want financial planning advice--frankly, go elsewhere. But if you want help in dealing with all of the emotional stresses of retirement, then this is THE book for you. I found it, by accident, on the first day of my retirement and it has been a God send for me. While the transition for me has not been easy, the approaches undertaken by the authors have helped me clarify my thinking on many occasions. Give it a try!

I've been retired for nearly a year from a 34-year career -- and NO ONE prepared me for the depression that descended -- but if I'd read this book earlier, I'd have known how to ward it off --or at least know I wasn't losing my mind. It is NOT a "do this 1, 2, 3" book, nor is it a "let's all feel good" book -- it pulls no punches about a BIG transition in life. The clear text, pertinent real-life examples, and effective journal prompts give frameworks for me to look at lots of aspects of my life now -- including the changes retirement brings to marriage, to family relationships, to the way I view money -- to how I spend my time -- and to how I see myself. But it is not preachy or jargon-filled. The book always keeps the focus on the choices I have. It's realistic, accurate (the section on the stages is great--and comforting). The emphasis is on the person "doing" the book -- the retiree or soon-to-be retiree. For me, the only weak section was in the "feelings" chapter, especially the "mood analysis." The book is designed to be written in -- I don't think anything else will suffice. I wish I'd found it a year ago, but I think it's more powerful now. I might not have believed it then!